The Handmaid's Tale is an award-winning dystopian/speculative fiction show, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood. It takes place in the present or near future (with flashbacks for context), where human fertility is dangerously low, the environment is in terrible shape, and an authoritarian, Old Testament regime has recently taken control of America and turned it into a terrible, oppressive theocracy called Gilead. This society is very strictly ordered, with the Commanders (powerful rich men) in charge of everything, and just about everyone else is in strictly defined and enforced roles.

Handmaids are fertile women who basically serve as sex slaves/incubators for the Commanders and their wives, with a ritualized surprise sex ceremony once a month. They are very strictly trained, watched, and controlled, treated little better than livestock, with even their names taken from them. Once they bear and wean a child, they're shuffled off to make babies for another couple, and this presumably repeats until they can't anymore, then get sent off to the colonies to clean up nuclear waste until they die. It's a miserable loving existence.

Our heroine, Offred/June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss, is one of these Handmaids.

Before Gilead happened, she was a normal woman with a husband and a young daughter, working as an editor at a publishing company. She tried to escape to Canada with her family when poo poo was hitting the fan, but got caught and sent to a Red Center, where Handmaids are trained and indoctrinated. Throughout season one, she was in the service of the Waterfords, a wealthy couple who had been instrumental in the forming of the new regime. She is now pregnant and on the run, though how far she gets remains to be seen.

Others:
Ofglen/Emily, played by Alexis Bledel:

A former cellular biology professor, she was separated from her wife and son and forced to be a Handmaid. In season one, she is part of Mayday, a resistance movement, and gets Offred involved. Caught having a relationship with a Martha (the domestic servant class of women), she is quickly put on trial, forced to watch her lover die, given a clitoridectomy, and transferred to another couple. The last we saw of her in season one, she briefly stole a car and ran over a couple soldiers, for which, as we learn in season two, she was sent to the colonies to clean up nuclear waste. Looks like she'll be playing a larger role this season, which is exciting, as she's great in the part.

Moira, played by Samira Wiley:

June's best friend from college, a rebellious, outspoken lesbian. She was also sent to the Red Center in season one, but escaped, only to be caught and forced to work at Jezebels, a brothel for high-ranking men. Last season, she stabbed her way out and managed to make it to Canada, because she's awesome. Hasn't yet popped up in season two, though I hope we see a lot more of her.

Ofwarren/Janine, played by Madeline Brewer:

Sweet, unbalanced young girl, whose eye was removed for disobedience at the Red Center. In season one, she gave birth to her commander's baby, and believed that he was in love with her. When she was then given to another family, she kidnapped the baby and attempted suicide by jumping off a bridge. She survived, and as of S2E2, is sent to the colonies.

Serena Joy Waterford, played by Yvonne Strahovski:

Offred's mistress. Before Gilead, she was a Phyllis Schlafly-like "domestic feminist", and one of the chief architects of the regime. She is controlling, tightly wound, and generally awful.

Aunt Lydia, played by Ann Dowd:

One of, maybe the chief, Aunt, a true believer older woman in charge of training and keeping tracks on the Handmaids. She's a terrifying and sadistic, but oddly maternal, authority figure, who honestly seems to believe that she's doing what's right for her "girls". Dowd is fantastic in the part.

And the men:

Commander Fred Waterford, played by Joseph Fiennes:

Offred's commander, and a high-ranking official in Gilead. Dickhead.

Luke, husband of June/Offred, played by O-T Fagbenle:

Decent, regular guy, who unfortunately didn't try to escape with his family until it was too late. He is now a refugee living in Canada, and at the end of last season had been reunited with Moira.

Nick, played by Max Minghella:

Commander Waterford's driver, and also an Eye (spies/secret police, more or less) and possibly a member of Mayday. In season one, at the behest of Serena Joy, he and June began an affair, and he is almost certainly the father of her current child. Seems a bit dim, but he helped June escape the Waterfords, so there's that.

I think that's the main bits, if I've missed anyone or anything let me know and I'll edit. The first two episodes of season two are now out on Hulu, with a new one being added at 1200 est on Wednesdays. Let's enjoy the misery together, shall we?

Honestly about 2/3rds through this episode I was done, wasn't going to watch the season. I couldn't deal with another entire season of this bleak poo poo. But now, I'm in. Hopefully theres some hope this season.

Yeah, I watched the first few episodes of the new season starting at around six am last Wednesday, and it pretty much hosed up the rest of my day. I'm not usually squeamish, but this show is loving brutal.

Honestly about 2/3rds through this episode I was done, wasn't going to watch the season. I couldn't deal with another entire season of this bleak poo poo. But now, I'm in. Hopefully theres some hope this season.

Kate Bush singing This Woman's Work as the girls are led to the gallows was really loving hard to watch and when that scene concluded I literally yelled WHAT KIND OF hosed UP poo poo IS THIS?!

The writing was really good in season 1 was good so I'll still watch, but drat. What the gently caress.

Kate Bush singing This Woman's Work as the girls are led to the gallows was really loving hard to watch and when that scene concluded I literally yelled WHAT KIND OF hosed UP poo poo IS THIS?!

The writing was really good in season 1 was good so I'll still watch, but drat. What the gently caress.

Yeah, that scene definitely had me questioning if I wanted to put myself through more of this. I thought the second episode was a little easier to stomach, though of course that's extremely relative as far as this show goes. Shame to see Marisa Tomei come and go so quickly, but I'm really liking Emily a lot.

In the first episode when the teacher calls to tell her she sent her kid to the ER I swear to god that was Lydia’s voice on the phone being a hardass.

I'd have to listen again, but I can see it.

I wasn't quite sure whether to read the scene of her tearing up before ringing the bell as her being glad June's pregnant, or as a small moment of regret for the hell she's putting the girls through. Either would be totally her, of course.

Kate Bush singing This Woman's Work as the girls are led to the gallows was really loving hard to watch and when that scene concluded I literally yelled WHAT KIND OF hosed UP poo poo IS THIS?!

The writing was really good in season 1 was good so I'll still watch, but drat. What the gently caress.

That scene really annoyed me because I knew they wouldn't kill the main character and every thing is so over the top. The writing in the first season was really good so I'll stick around, but they dropped the ball by reminding you the main character is unkillable.

They're not going to kill a ton of fertile women, period. They would absolutely suffocate them to the point of anoxic brain injury, or paralyze them and use them as thoughtless wombs life support devices, though.

I thought they were just going to let a few spots on the gallows drop, killing (or yeah, paralyzing or turning them into vegetables) a few random Handmaids to teach the others a lesson seems like it'd be right out of the Gilead playbook.

I thought they were just going to let a few spots on the gallows drop, killing (or yeah, paralyzing or turning them into vegetables) a few random Handmaids to teach the others a lesson seems like it'd be right out of the Gilead playbook.

That what I was thinking initially, that they'd kill one or two, or maybe drop everyone just enough that they could stand on their tiptoes struggling to breathe until the slacked the ropes. But in the end, the scene was still effective. I certainly wasn't sitting there thinking, "Oh, whatever, June can't die."

I hate to say it but I think she hams it up too much. Feels like a cartoon more than a believable person to me. Although, a lot of that falls on the writing.

Edit: In regards to this first episode at least. Not so much season 1

Also

To some extent I think the persona she puts on in front of the girls is meant to be exaggerated, sort of in the same way a drill sergeant or dominatrix is. Doesn't make her any less horrible or terrifying, of course, and I've no doubt she's a true believer, but in a way it's no different than the Handmaids acting meek or the wives acting aloof. Plus she was apoplectic with rage at the time because they refused to stone Janine, makes sense she'd ramp it up a few dozen notches to really put the fear of god in them.

Working my way through season one, but I wanted to pop in quick to mention just how happy I am with the adaptation so far. I had been worried about some of the changes, but stuff like making Serena Joy much younger turned out to be a huge boon for the show imho. I'm super impressed with Strahovski so far, and ofc Bledel but I already knew she won an Emmy so I'm not too surprised by her pulling an A+ performance for once.

This is good poo poo and I look forward to season two. Does the first season wrap up more or less where the book ends, with two moving past those events or is there some overlap?

This is good poo poo and I look forward to season two. Does the first season wrap up more or less where the book ends, with two moving past those events or is there some overlap?

Yeah, from my memory (haven't read the book since high school, should probably remedy that) the first season lines up really neatly with the book, minus some of the extra stuff the show adds. Margaret Atwood helped write the new stuff iirc, or at least served as a consultant.

Yeah, from my memory (haven't read the book since high school, should probably remedy that) the first season lines up really neatly with the book, minus some of the extra stuff the show adds. Margaret Atwood helped write the new stuff iirc, or at least served as a consultant.

Yeah, finding out she consulted heavily is one of the reasons I finally jumped in. Her cameoing to slap Moss in the premiere was a riot lmao.

Thank you for making this thread. I was staring at gifs and source codes two nights ago trying to get my posting mojo on but i....didn't do anything. Unlike our hero! Cutting my ear off to own the chuds!

Thank you for making this thread. I was staring at gifs and source codes two nights ago trying to get my posting mojo on but i....didn't do anything. Unlike our hero! Cutting my ear off to own the chuds!

No probs! Let me know if there's anything you'd like me to add to the op, I kinda slapped it together.

That what I was thinking initially, that they'd kill one or two, or maybe drop everyone just enough that they could stand on their tiptoes struggling to breathe until the slacked the ropes. But in the end, the scene was still effective. I certainly wasn't sitting there thinking, "Oh, whatever, June can't die."

I knew it was a mock execution, but the scene was still effective at selling the terror the handmaids were experiencing, and mock executions are absolutely a terror tool of totalitarian regimes.

Binged the series in a couple of days, really enjoyed it. The cinematography and the performances, especially. Aunt Lydia is probably my favourite - the brutality and affection for her handmaidens the actress portraits is mesmerizing to watch.
The colonies were a bit disappointing though - it didn't look as horrible comparably to what I imagined it, specifically the way the women were digging at the ground with some shovels - it looked underwhelming. Also, are only women sent to the colonies?

I think the Colonies vary; the one we saw was all women, but it stands to reason there might be some for men out there as well. I'm actually mildly curious about what exactly happened to all the regular/non-rear end in a top hat men in Gilead, though not enough to want the show to devote much time to it.

Vvv Rita seems alright, and the Martha that Emily slept with was probably okay. Also that second Wife Emily was assigned to tried to delay the monthly surprise sex, which I guess counts as being a good person in Gilead

Crow Jane fucked around with this message at Apr 30, 2018 around 18:17

Concerning the non-rear end in a top hat men, a curious thing I've noticed, that every outsider character who has helped the main cast was a man. Im actually more curious about where are the non-rear end in a top hat women in this show? It's like all of them have been made handmaidens.

Concerning the non-rear end in a top hat men, a curious thing I've noticed, that every outsider character who has helped the main cast was a man. Im actually more curious about where are the non-rear end in a top hat women in this show? It's like all of them have been made handmaidens.

I like this show but boy does it lean on the melodrama a lot. Add in all the graphic violence, replace the facism with zombies and you're practically in The Walking Dead territory. I'm going to keep watching because this season has been doing a good job building up the backstory, while also giving the characters a bit more depth but I wouldn't mind an episode that didn't hammer in some dramatic beat with music or act of graphic violence. I soured a bit on Moss after watching Top of the Lake S2 recently, so that's not helping things.

Also if Offred is recaptured and we go backwards, I'm done. This is a good time to have her lying low among the common people, and give us some perspective on what's happening in the immediate world from a perspective other than the upper class.

Anyone got any guesses where the 'colonies' are? I'm trying to think where the U.S. would nuke, then want to colonize that looks like where they are in the show.

Concerning the non-rear end in a top hat men, a curious thing I've noticed, that every outsider character who has helped the main cast was a man. Im actually more curious about where are the non-rear end in a top hat women in this show? It's like all of them have been made handmaidens.

That makes sense, the men have freedom of movement and the legal ability to read. That helps a lot for plotting handmaid escapes and such.

Given the massive drop in the labor force when you remove all the women and send most of the young men off to war, I have to imagine all the remaining men have their hands full with work just trying to keep the economy from cratering any further.